Month: September 2018

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that it seemed that whenever Dad and I were chatting that our conversations often drifted to storms that we had been in together when we were at sea. And the reason, of course, is that the storms are more memorable than the nice days at sea, not necessarily…

It really is a quandary. A while back I read a news story entitled, “The New Canadian Morality”. The story concerned a survey sponsored by Angus Reid Strategies that asked Canadians their opinions on 21 ethical questions. The results of the survey showed that 60% of Canadians still identify themselves as Christians. Which is interesting…

It started out kind of petty and ended up being kind of funny. It was 1978 and I was fishing with my Dad out of the Gaspe Coast of Quebec. The boat hadn’t been converted to a seiner yet so we were still configured as a midwater trawler. Dad was chief mate; his twin was…

In going through my family tree, I discovered that my family has been done wrong. It happened over 300 years ago, but I still I think I’m owed an apology. I’m sure it started with the best of intentions, but it ended as a witch hunt, and I’m not speaking metaphorically. On July 26, 1692,…

It seemed that whenever Dad and I swapped stories about the time we spent together at sea we always wound up talking about storms. We’d talk about how rough it got, how long it lasted, how sick Denn was. I began making trips with Dad on the tugs when I was fourteen, when…

Last week I killed a squirrel. Well, not intentionally. I mean, what type of squirrel killing monster do you take me for? I was driving down Hammonds Plains Road and Mr. Squirrel was making an ill-advised attempt at crossing the busy road. When he ran in front of my car, with a nut in his…

He had it all, at least on the surface. A good business, a fine family, status in the community. He had everything it would appear, but not quite enough. Some men craved after gold or silver or jewels, not this man. Those things were all so cold and inanimate, forged and moulded deep inside an…

It is a story of Grace. Last week Angela and I were sorting through some boxes that had been in storage since we moved into our present home, in 2004. Upon opening a box of books packed by our daughter I discovered a library book I thought I’d returned in 2003. When I saw the…

For seven of the eight parables that Jesus began with the line “The Kingdom of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God is like. . .” he used everyday events that were happening around those he was teaching, outside, but in one instance he took them out of the fields and vineyards, away from the sea…